After four years, town has its own council

10:29am Saturday 3rd May 2008

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A FORMER pit town at last has its own council, after a four-year battle.

The first elections for Stanley Town Council took place on Thursday for seven wards within the district of Derwentside.

Voting left the political balance split, with nine Labour Party members, nine Independents and two Liberal Democrats.

The Government agreed to establish the council after receiving a petition with thousands of names in favour of its creation.

Returning officer Mike Clark, chief executive of Derwentside District Council, said: "It has created a second layer of government but, at this moment, it cannot set a budget, so it will be in a bit of a hiatus until next year.

"But the council will be consulted and will be able to comment on local issues."

The council's wards include Annfield Plain, Catchgate, Craghead and South Stanley, Havannah, South Moor, Stanley Hall and Tanfield.

There are three members per ward, with the exception of Catchgate which will have two members.

The council covers an area which includes more than 15,000 properties and about 26,000 voters.

In the future, it may be able to control many local services, including allotments and village greens, litter and street cleaning, burial grounds, leisure facilities and tourism activities.

Councillor Tom Pattinson, a Derwentside Independent, was the secretary of Stanley Town Council steering group.

The 69-year-old, a former project engineer of Causey Drive, Kip Hill, Stanley, said: "For a long time, people have complained that there has been a lack of interest in Stanley by Derwentside District Council.

"We want to give people in Stanley what they want and we can find this out by consulting with them."

Some of the successful candidates are just starting careers in local politics, while others are more experienced.

Labour Party member and Durham county councillor Michelle Hodgson, 50, has been elected to the authority to represent Annfield Plain.

She said: "It is important that we work out how this council is going to operate, and remember that it is also for the more remote villages and not just Stanley Front Street. I hope that we will all be able to work well together."

The first annual meeting of Stanley Town Council will be held in the town's Lamplight Arts Centre on Thursday, May 15, at 6pm.